Smart watch and method for controlling the same

ABSTRACT

Discussed are a smart watch and a method for controlling the same, which determine a notification device that provides a notification of an event, based on wearing/non-wearing of a smart watch and on a distance between the smart watch and an external digital device. The smart watch includes a display unit configured to display content, a sensor unit configured to detect an input signal and transmit the detected input signal to a processor, a communication unit configured to transmit/receive data, and the processor configured to control the display unit, the sensor unit, and the communication unit, wherein the processor is configured to detect a mode of the smart watch, wherein the mode of the smart watch includes a worn mode and an unworn mode of the smart watch.

Pursuant to 35 U.S.C. §119(a), this application claims the benefit ofKorean Patent Application No. 10-2013-0051503, filed on May 7, 2013,which is hereby incorporated by reference as if fully set forth herein.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. Field of the Invention

The disclosure relates to a smart watch and a method for controlling thesame, and more particularly, to a method for determining a notificationdevice that provides a notification of an event, based on whether asmart watch is being worn or not and on a distance between the smartwatch and an external digital device.

2. Discussion of the Related Art

With advances in technology, development of wearable computers hasaccelerated. Wearable computers refer to computers that a user cannaturally wear like clothes, wristwatches, glasses, or accessories.Although smart phones and tablet PCs may be conveniently used using userfingers or a touch pen, they may be inconvenient in that the user has toput them in a pocket or bag or carry such devices. On the contrary, theuser can wear a wearable computer on the wrist or on the eyes likeglasses, thereby providing convenience in mobility relative to the smartphone or tablet PC. In particular, among wearable computers, a varietyof wristwatch related products, for example, a smart watch, capable ofwirelessly providing various services such as weather forecasts,messages, notifications, stock quotes, etc., have been emerged.

Meanwhile, a smart watch may be interlinked with an external digitaldevice such as a smart phone. If an event occurs in the smart watch oran external digital device, whether the smart watch or the externaldigital device will notify a user of the event needs to be determined.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Accordingly, the disclosure is directed to a smart watch and a methodfor controlling the same that substantially obviate one or more problemsdue to limitations and disadvantages of the related art.

An object of the disclosure is to determine a notification device forproviding a notification of an event occurring in at least one of asmart watch and a digital device, when the smart watch detects anexternal digital device paired therewith.

Another object of the disclosure is to determine a notification devicebased on at least one of wearing/non-wearing of a smart watch,pairing/unpairing between the smart watch and an external digitaldevice, and a distance between the smart watch and the external digitaldevice.

Still another object of the disclosure is to change a notificationdevice when an input signal is not detected with respect to anotification provided by the notification device for a preset time.

Additional advantages, objects, and features of the disclosure will beset forth in part in the description which follows and in part willbecome apparent to those having ordinary skill in the art uponexamination of the following or may be learned from practice of thedisclosure. The objectives and other advantages of the disclosure may berealized and attained by the structure particularly pointed out in thewritten description and claims hereof as well as the appended drawings.

To achieve these objects and other advantages and in accordance with thepurpose of the disclosure, as embodied and broadly described herein, asmart watch includes a display unit configured to display content, asensor unit configured to detect an input signal and transmit thedetected input signal to a processor, a communication unit configured totransmit/receive data; and the processor configured to control thedisplay unit, the sensor unit, and the communication unit, wherein theprocessor is configured to: detect a mode of the smart watch, whereinthe mode of the smart watch includes a worn mode and an unworn mode ofthe smart watch, detect an external digital device paired with the smartwatch, and determine a notification device providing a notification ofan event occurring in at least one of the smart watch and the externaldigital device based on the detected worn mode or unworn mode of thesmart watch, wherein the notification device includes at least one ofthe smart watch and the external digital device.

In another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for controlling asmart watch includes detecting a mode of the smart watch, wherein themode of the smart watch includes a worn mode and an unworn mode of thesmart watch, detecting an external digital device paired with the smartwatch, and determining a notification device providing a notification ofan event occurring in at least one of the smart watch and the externaldigital device based on the smart watch worn mode or unworn mode,wherein the notification device includes at least one of the smart watchand the external digital device.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description andthe following detailed description of the disclosure are exemplary andexplanatory and are intended to provide further explanation of thedisclosure as claimed.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings, which are included to provide a furtherunderstanding of the disclosure and are incorporated in and constitute apart of this application, illustrate embodiment(s) of the disclosure andtogether with the description serve to explain the principle of thedisclosure. In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a smart watch of the disclosure;

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating pairing of a smart watch with anexternal digital device;

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a control methodof a smart watch according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a change in the first embodiment ofFIG. 3 over time;

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a second embodiment of a control methodof a smart watch according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a third embodiment of a control methodof a smart watch according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a fourth embodiment of a control methodof a smart watch according to an embodiment of the disclosure;

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a smart watch ofthe disclosure; and

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a smart watch ofthe disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Reference will now be made in detail to the preferred embodiments of thedisclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanyingdrawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be usedthroughout the drawings to refer to the same or like parts.

Although the terms used in the disclosure are selected from generallyknown and used terms while considering functions of the disclosure, theymay vary according to intention or customs of those skilled in the artor to emergence of new technology. Some of the terms mentioned in thedescription of the disclosure may have been selected by the applicant athis or her discretion, and in such cases the detailed meanings thereofwill be described in relevant parts of the description herein. Thus, theterms used in this disclosure should be interpreted based on thesubstantial meanings of the terms and the whole content of thisdisclosure rather than their simple names or meanings.

Embodiments will be described below in detail with reference to theattached drawings, which should not be construed as limiting theembodiments.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a smart watch of the disclosure. Referringto FIG. 1, a smart watch 100 may include a display unit 110, a sensorunit 120, a communication unit 130, a processor 140, a power unit 150,and a storage unit 160.

The display unit 110 outputs an image on a display screen. The displayunit 110 may output an image according to content executed in theprocessor 140 or a control command received from the processor 140. Forexample, the content may include a video, an image, etc. In thedisclosure, the display unit 110 may provide a notification of an eventoccurring in at least one of the smart watch 100 and an external digitaldevice. Particularly, the display unit 100 may display a notificationoccurred from at least one of the smart watch 100 and the externaldigital device as a character or image notification.

The sensor unit 120 may detect an input signal using at least one sensorequipped in the smart watch 100 and provide the input signalcorresponding to a detection result to the processor 130. The sensorunit 120 may include a plurality of sensing means. In an embodiment, theplurality of sensing means may include a gravity sensor, a geomagneticsensor, a motion sensor, a gyro sensor, an acceleration sensor, aninfrared sensor, an inclination sensor, a brightness sensor, an altitudesensor, an olfactory sensor, a temperature sensor, a depth sensor, apressure sensor, a bending sensor, an audio sensor, a video sensor, aGlobal Positioning System (GPS) sensor, a grip sensor, a touch sensor,etc. The sensor unit 120 generically refers to any of these varioussensing means. The sensor unit 120 may sense various user input and userenvironment and provide sensing results to the processor 130 so that theprocessor 130 may perform operations corresponding to the sensingresults. The above-described sensors may be included as separateelements in the smart watch 100 or may be incorporated into one or moreelements in the smart watch 100.

According to the disclosure, the sensor unit 120 may detect an inputsignal of the smart watch 100. The input signal of the smart watch 100may correspond to an input signal for determining whether a user wearsthe smart watch 100. For example, the input signal may include at leastone of an input signal for the rear surface (not shown) of the smartwatch 100 and an input signal for a buckle (not shown) of the smartwatch 100. According to this disclosure, the sensor unit 120 may detectthe input signal while providing a notification of an event occurred inthe smart watch 100. The input signal for the smart watch 100 mayinclude eye gaze input, touch input, voice input, gesture input, etc. Inthis disclosure, the sensor unit 120 may also detect a user grip signalfor the smart watch 100 under the state that the user does not wear thesmart watch 100.

The communication unit 130 may communicate with an external device usingvarious protocols and thus transmit/receive data to/from the externaldevice. The communication unit 130 may be connected to a networkwirelessly or by wire and transmit/receive digital data such as content.In this disclosure, the smart watch 100 may perform pairing with anexternal digital device using the communication unit 130. The smartwatch 100 may perform communication with the external digital devicethrough pairing. This will be described again with reference to FIG. 2.Meanwhile, the communication unit 130 may transmit a notification startsignal to the external digital device when the external device isdetermined as a device that provides a notification.

The processor 140 may execute content received through datacommunication or stored in the storage unit 160. The processor 140 maycontrol each unit of the smart watch 100 and control data transmissionand reception between units.

In this disclosure, the processor 140 may detect a mode of the smartwatch 100. The mode of the smart watch 100 may include a worn mode and aunworn mode. The mode of the smart watch 100 may be determined based onan input signal detected by the sensor unit 120 through at least one ofthe rear surface of the smart watch 100 and a buckle of the smart watch100. In this disclosure, the processor 140 may detect an externaldigital device paired with the smart watch 100. In this disclosure, theprocessor 140 may determine a notification device that provides anotification of an event occurring in at least one of the smart watch100 and the external digital device, based on the detected worn mode orunworn mode of the smart watch 100. Herein, the notification device mayinclude at least one of the smart watch 100 and the external device.This will be described with reference to FIG. 2.

The power unit 150 is a power source connectable to an internal batteryof the smart watch 100 or to an external power source, for supplyingpower to the smart watch 100.

The storage unit 160 may store various digital data including video,audio, pictures, applications, etc. The storage unit 160 may storeprograms for processing and controlling the processor 140 and serve totemporarily store input/output data. The storage unit 160 may includevarious digital data storage spaces such as a flash memory, a RandomAccess Memory (RAM), a Solid State Drive (SSD), etc.

Although not shown in FIG. 1, the smart watch 100 may include an audiounit. In this disclosure, the audio unit (not shown) may provide aspeech notification of an event occurring in at least one of the smartwatch and the external digital device.

As an embodiment of the disclosure, various operations performed by thesmart watch 100 may be controlled by the processor 140. Operations ofthe smart watch 100 may be stored in the storage unit 160 and may becontrolled by an application driven by the processor 140. Forconvenience, in the attached drawings and following description, suchoperations are illustrated and explained as being performed/controlledby the smart watch 100.

The smart watch 100 illustrated in FIG. 1 is shown in block formaccording to an embodiment. Separate blocks are logically distinguishedelements in the smart watch 100. Therefore, the above-described elementsof the smart watch 100 may be incorporated into one or more chipsaccording to a device design.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating pairing of a smart watch with anexternal digital device. More specifically, FIG. 2 illustrates pairingperformed between the smart watch 100 and an external digital device 200such as a smart phone. The external digital device 200 may be a digitaldevice that can perform communication with the smart watch 100. Forexample, the external digital device 200 may include a smart phone, anotebook computer 210, an Internet Protocol Television (IPTV) 220, etc.as shown in FIG. 2.

Pairing refers to connection for data transmission/reception between thesmart watch 100 and the external digital device 200. When pairing isperformed, the smart watch 100 and the external digital device 200communicate with each other to enable two-way datatransmission/reception. In this disclosure, the smart watch 100 may bepaired with the external digital device 200 using a communication unit(not shown). In addition, in this disclosure, pairing may be performedthrough Bluetooth, Near Field Communication (NFC), etc. As an example,pairing may be performed through user input using the smart watch 100 orthe external digital device 200. The user input may include touch inputand voice input. For example, the smart watch 100 may provide a separatebutton or a user interface for communication with the external digitaldevice 200. The user may perform communication between the smart watch100 and the external digital device 200 through user input using thebutton or the user interface.

If communication access is achieved, the smart watch 100 may exchangedata with the external digital device 200 in a session open state.Meanwhile, the smart watch 100 may perform pairing with a plurality ofexternal digital devices 200, 210, and 220. In this case, the smartwatch 100 may achieve communication access through pairing and thus mayselectively exchanges data with the plural external digital devices 200,210, and 220.

The smart watch 100 may detect the paired external digital device 200 todetermine a notification device that will provide a notification of anevent occurring in the smart watch 100 or the external digital device200. The notification device may be a device that provides anotification of an event occurring in at least one of the smart watch100 and the external digital device 200. In this disclosure, thenotification device may include at least one of the smart watch 100 andthe external digital device 200.

The event occurring in at least one of the smart watch 100 and theexternal digital device 200 may be a state change occurred from at leastone of the smart watch 100 and the external digital device 200. Forexample, the event may include an incoming telephone call, text messagereception, new message reception of a Social Networking Service (SNS),scheduled alarm, weather alert, etc. The notification of the occurredevent may include notifying the user of the above-described event. Forexample, the notification may be occurred in the form of a text messagenotification, a speech notification, a vibration notification, etc. Thenotification device may be determined according to whether the user iswearing the smart watch 100, whether the smart watch 100 is paired withthe external digital device 200, or the distance between the smart watch100 and the external digital device 200.

On the other hand, in determining a notification device including atleast one of the smart watch 100 and the external digital device 200 inthis disclosure, the external digital device 200 may be set to a maindevice and the smart watch 100 may be set to a sub device. In this case,the external digital device 200 has priority over the smart watch 100 asthe notification device under the same condition so that the externaldigital device 200 may provide the notification to the user. Converselyto the above case, the smart watch 100 may be set to the main device andthe external digital device 200 may be set to the sub device. Notably,in description of this disclosure, the external digital device 200 isassumed to be the main device.

In consideration of the above description, the disclosure is directed toa method for determining which device will provide a notification of anevent occurring in at least one of the smart watch 100 and the externaldigital device 200, in the smart watch 100 paired with the externaldigital device 200. More specifically, the disclosure is directed to amethod for the smart watch 100 to determine a notification device basedon wearing/non-wearing of the smart watch and the distance between thesmart watch 100 and the external digital device 200.

In one embodiment, the smart watch 100 may determine the notificationdevice that provides a notification for at least one of the smart watch100 and the external digital device 200, based on a smart watch wornmode or unworn mode. For example, in the smart watch worn mode, thesmart watch 100 may determine the smart watch 100 as the notificationdevice. In this case, the smart watch 100 may provide a notification ofan event occurring in at least one of the smart watch 100 and theexternal digital device 200. For instance, in the smart watch unwornmode, the smart watch 100 may determine the external digital device 200as the notification device. At this time, the smart watch 100 maytransmit a notification start signal to the external digital device 200so that the external digital device may provide a notification of anevent occurring in at least one of the smart watch 100 and the externaldigital device 200.

In another embodiment, the smart watch 100 may determine thenotification device that provides the notification for at least one ofthe smart watch 100 and the external digital device 200, according towhether there is the external digital device 200 paired with the smartwatch 100. For example, the smart watch 100 may determine the smartwatch 100 as the notification device when the external digital device200 is not paired therewith. Further, for example, the smart watch 100may determine at least one of the smart watch 100 and the externaldigital device 200 as the notification device, when the external digitaldevice 200 is paired therewith.

As still another example, the smart watch 100 may determine thenotification device that provides a notification as at least one of thesmart watch 100 and the external digital device 200, based on a distancebetween the smart watch 100 and the external digital device 200 pairedwith the smart watch 100. For example, if the smart watch 100 and theexternal digital device 200 are within a preset distance, the externaldigital device 200 may be determined as the notification device. Inaddition, if the smart watch 100 and the external digital device 200 areseparated by more than a preset distance, the smart watch 100 and theexternal digital device may be determined as the notification device.

Furthermore, the smart watch 100 may determine the notification devicebased on the mode of the smart watch 100 and the distance between thesmart watch 100 and the external digital device 200. This will bedescribed with reference to embodiments of FIGS. 3 to 7.

FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a first embodiment of a control methodof a smart watch according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Morespecifically, FIG. 3 illustrates determination of the notificationdevice in the smart watch worn mode when the smart watch 100 and theexternal digital device 200 are spaced by a distance d1 within a presetdistance d.

First, the smart watch 100 may detect the mode of the smart watch 100.The mode of the smart watch 100 may include a smart watch worn mode anda smart watch unworn mode. The mode of the smart watch 100 may bedetermined according to whether there is an input signal for the rearsurface (not shown) of the smart watch 100 or whether there is an inputsignal for the buckle (not shown) of the smart watch 100, as describedpreviously with reference to FIG. 1. For example, if the smart watch 100detects an input signal from a user 10, i.e. a contact signal, at therear surface (not shown) of the smart watch 100, the smart watch 100 mayrecognize the input signal as the smart watch worn mode. In addition, ifthe smart watch 100 detects an input signal for the buckle (not shown)from the smart watch 100, i.e. a fastened signal of the buckle (notshown), the smart watch 100 may recognize the input signal as the smartwatch worn mode. Further, if the smart watch 100 detects both an inputsignal for the rear surface (not shown) thereof and an input signal forthe buckle (not shown) thereof, the smart watch 100 may determine thatthe smart watch is in the worn mode. Referring to FIG. 3, since the useris wearing the smart watch 100, the smart watch 100 may recognize themode thereof as the smart watch worn mode.

Also, the smart watch 100 may also detect the external digital device200 paired therewith. As described with reference to FIG. 2, the smartwatch 100 may perform pairing with the various external digital devices200 capable of performing data communication to transmit/receive datawith the external digital device 200. Referring to FIG. 3, the smartwatch 100 may detect the external digital device, i.e. a smart phone,paired therewith.

Next, the smart watch 100 may detect an event occurring in at least oneof the smart watch 100 and the external digital device 200. Herein, theoccurred event indicates occurrence of mode change while the user 10uses the smart watch 100 or the external digital device 200. Asdescribed above with reference to FIG. 2, the occurred event may includean incoming telephone call, text message reception, powering down,weather alert, scheduled alarm, etc. Referring to FIG. 3, the occurredevent may correspond to an incoming telephone call event occurring in atleast one of the smart watch 100 and the external digital device 200.

Next, the smart watch 100 may provide a notification of an eventoccurring in at least one of the smart watch 100 and the externaldigital device 200 through a notification device. More specifically, thesmart watch 100 may determine the notification device that provides anotification of an event occurring in at least one of the smart watch100 and the external digital device 200 and provide a notification atthe determined notification device. The notification of the eventoccurring in at least one of the smart watch 100 and the externaldigital device 200 may include a speech notification, a text messagenotification, a vibration notification, and an image notification.

Referring to FIG. 3, the smart watch 100 is spaced from the pairedexternal digital device 200 by d1 in the smart watch worn mode. In thiscase, the distance d1 may be shorter than the preset distance d. Thatis, d1 may be within the preset distance. The distance between the smartwatch 100 and the external digital device 200 may be obtained based ontransmission/reception of a signal between the paired devices. In thiscase, the smart watch 100 may determine itself as the notificationdevice because, when the user 10 is wearing the smart watch 10, eventnotification through the smart watch is simple, although the externaldigital device 200 corresponds to the main device. Therefore, referringto FIG. 3, upon detecting an incoming telephone call event, the smartwatch 100 may provide a notification related to an incoming telephonecall there through in response to the detected event.

Meanwhile, when the smart watch 100 detects an input signal duringprovision a notification 20 through the smart watch 100, the smart watch100 may terminated to provide the notification 20. This is becausedetection of an input signal for the smart watch 100 during provision ofthe notification 20 indicates that the user 10 has received thenotification 20. The input signal for the smart watch 100 may includetouch input, voice input, gesture input, eye gaze input, etc.

Through the above-described embodiment, the user 10 can easily recognizean event occurred through the smart watch 100 in the smart watch wornmode.

FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating a change in the first embodiment ofFIG. 3 over time. More specifically, FIG. 4 illustrates the case wherean input signal for the smart watch 100, which is a notification device,is not detected for a preset time Tr during which a notification isprovided.

The smart watch 100 may detect a smart watch worn mode (time t0). Next,the smart watch 100 may be determined as the notification device asdescribed with reference to FIG. 4 and may provide a notification of aoccurred event (time t1). Referring to FIG. 4, the occurred event maycorrespond to an incoming telephone call.

Meanwhile, the smart watch 100 may provide a notification during thepreset time Tr. However, for the preset time Tr during which thenotification is provided, the smart watch 100 may detect lack of aninput signal. Herein, the input signal for the smart watch 100 maycorrespond to a signal indicating that the user 10 has recognized anevent occurred through the notification. In addition, the input signalfor the smart watch 100 may include a touch input signal, a voice inputsignal, and a gesture input signal. For example, when the notificationis provided through the display unit 110 of the smart watch 100, theuser may touch the display unit 110 to recognize occurrence of an event.The preset time Tr may indicate a reference time provided by thenotification 20 in order to detect the input signal. For example, when aspeech notification is provided, the reference time may correspond toduration of the speech notification. When a vibration notification, forexample, is provided, the reference time may correspond to a presetnumber of vibrations.

In this case, the smart watch 100 may re-determine the notificationdevice in response to absence of the input signal for the smart watch100 for the preset time Tr. That is, the notification device is changedin consideration of the fact that the user 10 does not recognize theprovided notification. Accordingly, the smart watch 100 may determinethe smart watch 100 and the external digital device 200 as thenotification devices (time t2). At that time, the smart watch 100 maytransmit a notification start signal to the external digital device 200.Next, the smart watch 100 may provide notifications 20 and 30 using boththe smart watch 100 and the external digital device 200. Thus, thenotification informing the user 10 of occurrence of an event is providedthrough not only the smart watch 100 but also the external digitaldevice 200 to a user 10.

Through the above-described embodiment, if the user does not recognize anotification provided through the set notification device, the smartwatch 100 re-determines the notification device so that the notificationof the occurred event can be provided to the user through variousdevices.

FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating a second embodiment of a control methodof a smart watch according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Morespecifically, FIG. 5 illustrates determination of a notification devicein the smart watch worn mode when the smart watch 100 and the externaldigital device 200 are separated by distance d2 exceeding a presetdistance d.

First, the smart watch 100 may detect the mode of the smart watch 100.Referring to FIG. 5, the smart watch 100 may detect the worn mode. Thesmart watch 100 may detect the external digital device 200 pairedtherewith. Referring to FIG. 5, the smart watch 100 may detect theexternal digital device, i.e. a smart phone, paired therewith.

Next, the smart watch 100 may detect an event occurring in at least oneof the smart watch 100 and the external digital device 200. Referring toFIG. 5, the occurred event may correspond to an incoming telephone callevent occurring in at least one of the smart watch 100 and the externaldigital device 200. Next, the smart watch 100 may provide a notification20 of the event occurring in at least one of the smart watch 100 and theexternal digital device 200.

Referring to FIG. 5, the smart watch 100 is separated by d2 from theexternal digital device 200 paired with in the smart watch worn mode.Herein, the distance d2 may be greater than the preset distance d. Thatis, the distance d2 may exceed the preset distance. Also, the distancebetween the smart watch 100 and the external digital device 200 may beobtained based on a transmission/reception signal between both devicesconnected through pairing. In this case, the smart watch 100 maydetermine itself as the notification device because it is easy for theuser 10 to recognize an event through the smart watch 100 worn by theuser 10, although the external digital device 200 corresponds to themain device. Therefore, referring to FIG. 5, upon detecting an incomingtelephone call event, the smart watch 100 may provide a notificationrelated to the incoming telephone call in response to the detectedevent. As opposed to the above description, the smart watch 100 maydetermine the external digital device 200 as the notification device.Then, the smart watch 100 may transmit a notification start signal tothe external digital device 200. Through the above-described embodiment,the user 10 can easily recognize the event occurred through the smartwatch 100 in the smart watch worn mode.

Meanwhile, if the smart watch 100 detects absence of an input signaltherefor while providing a notification for a preset time as describedabove with reference to FIG. 4, the smart watch 100 may determine boththe smart watch 100 and the external digital device 200 as notificationdevices. Thus, the user may receive the notification of the eventoccurred through the external digital device 200 as well as the smartwatch 100.

FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a third embodiment of a control methodof a smart watch according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Morespecifically, FIG. 6 illustrates determination of the notificationdevice in the smart watch unworn mode when the smart watch 100 and theexternal digital device 200 are distanced by a distance d1 within apreset distance d.

First, the smart watch 100 may detect the mode of the smart watch 100.Referring to FIG. 6, the smart watch 100 detects absence of an inputsignal for at least one of the rear surface (not shown) of the smartwatch 100 and the buckle (not shown) of the smart watch 100.Accordingly, the smart watch 100 may detect a smart watch unworn mode.For example, if input signals for both the rear of the smart watch 100and the buckle of the smart watch 100 are not detected, the smart watch100 may determine the mode as the smart watch unworn mode. In addition,the smart watch 100 may detect an external digital device 200 pairedtherewith. Referring to FIG. 5, the smart watch 100 may detect theexternal digital device 200, i.e. a smart phone, paired therewith.

Next, the smart watch 100 may detect an event occurring in at least oneof the smart watch 100 and the external digital device 200. Next, thesmart watch 100 may provide a notification of the event occurring in atleast one of the smart watch 100 and the external digital device 200.

Referring to FIG. 6, the smart watch 100 is separated from the pairedexternal digital device 200 by d1 in the smart watch unworn mode. Inthis case, the distance d1 may be shorter than the preset distance d asdescribed with reference to FIG. 3. In this case, the smart watch 100may determine the external digital device 200 as a notification devicebased on unworn mode of the smart watch and the distance d1 between thesmart watch 100 and the external digital device 200. This is because,when the user 10 is not wearing the smart watch 10, an event may be moreeasily recognized through the external digital device 200 which is amain device. Therefore, referring to FIG. 6, when the smart watchdetects an incoming telephone call event, the external digital device200 may provide a notification related to the incoming telephone callthere through in response to the detected event. In this case, the smartwatch 100 may transmit a notification start signal indicating that anotification related to an incoming telephone call should be started tothe external digital device 200.

According to the above-described embodiment, in the smart watch unwornmode, the user can receive the notification of the event through theexternal digital device that is capable of easily recognizing thenotification relative to the smart watch 100.

Meanwhile, the smart watch 100 may detect a smart watch grip signal ofthe user 10 while providing the notification of the event occurredthrough the external digital device 200. In this case, since the usermay be positioned in the vicinity of the smart watch 100 despite notwearing the smart watch, the smart watch 100 may re-determine itself asthe notification device.

In the embodiment of FIG. 6, the smart watch 100 may detect absence ofan input signal for the external digital device 200 while providing thenotification 30 through the external digital device 200 for the presettime. In this case, the smart watch 100 may determine itself as well asthe external digital device 200 as notification devices and provide thenotification 30 to the user.

FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a fourth embodiment of a control methodof a smart watch according to an embodiment of the disclosure. Morespecifically, FIG. 7 illustrates determination of a notification devicein the smart watch unworn mode when the smart watch 100 and the externaldigital device 200 are separated by d2 exceeding a preset distance d.

First, the smart watch 100 may detect mode of the smart watch 100.Referring to FIG. 7, the smart watch 100 may recognize the smart watchmode as the unworn mode. The smart watch 100 may detect the externaldigital device 200 paired therewith. Referring to FIG. 7, the smartwatch 100 may detect the external digital device, i.e. a smart phone,paired therewith. Next, the smart watch 100 may detect an eventoccurring in at least of the smart watch 100 and the external digitaldevice 200. The smart watch 100 may provide a notification of an eventoccurring in at least one of the smart watch 100 and the externaldigital device 200.

Referring to FIG. 7, the smart watch 100 is spaced by d2 from theexternal digital device 200 paired therewith in a smart watch unwornmode. The distance d2 may be greater than the preset distance d asdescribed with reference to FIG. 5. In this case, the smart watch 100may determine the smart watch 100 and the external digital device 200 asnotification devices. Since the smart watch 100 does not know whichdevice is nearer the user when the distance between the smart watch andthe external device exceeds the preset distance in the smart watchunworn mode, the smart watch 100 may provide a notification of aoccurred event using both the smart watch and the external digitaldevice 200. Therefore, referring to FIG. 7, upon detecting an incomingtelephone call event, the smart watch 100 may provide a notification 20related to the incoming telephone call there through in response to thedetected event. Further, upon detecting the incoming telephone callevent, the smart watch 100 may transmit a notification start signal tothe external digital device 200.

Meanwhile, when notifications 20 and 30 are provided through the smartwatch 100 and the external digital device 200, the smart watch 100 maydifferently control strength levels of the notifications provided by thesmart watch 100 and the external digital device 200. Here, the strengthlevels of the notifications may correspond to strength levels of signalsproviding the notifications. For example, the strength level of thenotification may include volume of a speech notification, font size of atext message notification, vibration strength of a vibrationnotification, etc.

According to the above-described embodiment, the user can recognize anotification provided by a device nearer the smart watch 100 and theexternal digital device 200 in a smart watch non-wearing state.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a smart watch ofthe disclosure. In the following description, each step of FIG. 8 may becontrolled by the processor 140 of the smart watch 100 shown in FIG. 1.

First, the smart watch may detect a smart watch mode (step S810). Asdescribed with reference to FIG. 2, the smart watch mode may include aworn mode and a unworn mode. The smart watch mode may be determinedbased on at least one of an input signal for the rear surface of thesmart watch and an input signal for the buckle of the smart watch.

Next, the smart watch may detect an external digital device paired withthe smart watch (step S820). As described with reference to FIG. 2, thesmart watch may perform communication through pairing with the externaldigital device. The external digital device may correspond to a digitaldevice capable of communicating with the smart watch.

Next, the smart watch may determine a notification device providing anotification of an event occurring in at least one of the smart watchand the external digital device (step S830). In this case, the smartwatch may detect the event occurring in at least one of the smart watchand the external digital device. The smart watch may obtain the distancebetween the smart watch and the external digital device and determinethe notification device which provides the notification of the event,based on the worn mode or unworn mode of the smart watch and theobtained distance between the smart watch and the external digitaldevice. Here, the notification device may correspond to at least one ofthe smart watch and the external digital device as described withreference to FIG. 1. The event occurring in at least one of the smartwatch and the external digital device relates to a state change occurredfrom the smart watch or the external digital device and may include anincoming telephone call, text message reception, scheduled alarm, etc.Upon detecting an input signal for the notification device whileproviding the notification, the smart watch may stop providing thenotification. In this case, the input signal may include a touch inputsignal, an eye gaze input signal, a voice input signal, a gesture inputsignal, etc.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a control method of a smart watch ofthe disclosure. In the following description, each step of FIG. 9 may becontrolled by the processor 140 of the smart watch 100 shown in FIG. 1.In the embodiment of FIG. 9, parts identical or similar to theabove-described embodiment of FIG. 8 will not be described in detail.

The smart watch may detect a mode thereof (step S910). Next, the smartwatch may detect an external digital device paired therewith (stepS920).

Next, if the smart watch is in a worn mode, the smart watch maydetermine itself as a notification device (step S930). As described withreference to FIG. 4, if a notification of an event is provided from thesmart watch, the smart watch may detect absence of an input signal forthe smart watch for a preset time. In this case, the smart watch maytransmit a notification start signal to the external digital device inresponse to absence of the detected input signal. Here, the input signalfor the smart watch may include signals in response to eye gaze, voice,touch, gesture, etc. of a user.

Meanwhile, if the smart watch is in a unworn mode, the smart watch maydetermine whether the distance between the smart watch and the externaldigital device is within a preset distance (step S940). Here, the presetdistance may correspond to a distance set by the user or a distanceautomatically set between the smart watch and the external digitaldevice. The distance between the smart watch and the external digitaldevice may be obtained based on a transmission/reception signal betweenboth devices connected through pairing.

In step S940, if the distance between the smart watch and the externaldigital device exceeds the preset distance, the smart watch maydetermine the external digital device as a notification device (stepS950). In this case, if a smart watch grip signal is detected in a smartwatch non-wearing state as described with reference to FIG. 6, the smartwatch may determine the smart watch as the notification device.

In step S940, if the distance between the smart watch and the externaldigital device is within the preset distance, the smart watch maydetermine itself and the external digital device as notification devices(step S960). As described with reference to FIG. 7, the smart watch mayprovide a notification of an event occurring in at least one of thesmart watch and the external digital device. The smart watch maytransmit a notification start signal to the external digital device.

While the disclosure has been described with reference to separatedrawings for convenience, a new embodiment may be implemented bycombining embodiments illustrated in the drawings. When needed,designing a computer-readable recording medium, in which a program forimplementing the afore-described embodiments is recorded, is within thescope of the disclosure.

The smart watch and the method for controlling the same according to thedisclosure are not limited to the configurations and methods of theexemplary embodiments set forth herein. The exemplary embodiments may beselectively combined in part or in whole to form various embodimentsthat all fall within the scope of the disclosure.

Meanwhile, the smart watch and the control method therefor according tothe disclosure may be implemented as code that can be written on aprocessor-readable recording medium and thus read by a processorprovided in a networked device. The processor-readable recording mediummay be any type of recording device in which data is stored in aprocessor-readable manner. The processor-readable recording medium mayinclude, for example, a ROM, a RAM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disc, andan optical data storage device and may be implemented in the form of acarrier wave transmitted over the Internet. The processor-readablerecording medium can be distributed over a plurality of computer systemsconnected to a network so that processor-readable code is writtenthereto and executed therefrom in a decentralized manner.

As is apparent from the above description, according to an embodiment,when an event such as a phone call occurs while a user uses a smartwatch and an external digital device paired with the smart watch, theuser can easily recognize occurrence of the event through notificationprovided by a notification device.

According to an embodiment, when an event such as a phone call occurs,the user can easily recognize occurrence of the event through anotification device enabling effective notification of the event,wherein the notification device is based on at least one ofwearing/non-wearing of a smart watch, pairing/non-pairing between thesmart watch and an external digital device, and a distance between thesmart watch and the external digital device.

In addition, according to an embodiment, when an input signal from auser is not detected while a notification is provided with respect to asmart watch or an external digital device for a preset time, the usercan easily recognize occurrence of an event through a changednotification device.

While the disclosure has been particularly shown and described withreference to exemplary embodiments, it will be understood by those ofordinary skill in the art that various changes in form and details maybe made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of thedisclosure as defined by the following claims.

Both a device and a method are described in this the disclosure andtheir descriptions may be complementarily applied as necessary.

What is claimed is:
 1. A smart watch comprising: a display unitconfigured to display content; a sensor unit configured to detect aninput signal and transmit the detected input signal to a processor; acommunication unit configured to transmit/receive data; and theprocessor configured to control the display unit, the sensor unit, andthe communication unit, wherein the processor is configured to: detect amode of the smart watch, wherein the mode of the smart watch includes aworn mode and an unworn mode of the smart watch, detect an externaldigital device paired with the smart watch, and determine a notificationdevice providing a notification of an event occurring in at least one ofthe smart watch and the external digital device based on the detectedworn mode or unworn mode of the smart watch, wherein the notificationdevice includes at least one of the smart watch and the external digitaldevice.
 2. The smart watch according to claim 1, wherein the processoris further configured to obtain a distance between the smart watch andthe external digital device, and determine the notification deviceproviding the notification of the event based on the detected worn modeor unworn mode of the smart watch and the distance between the smartwatch and the external digital device.
 3. The smart watch according toclaim 1, wherein the processor is further configured to determine thesmart watch as the notification device, if the smart watch is in theworn mode.
 4. The smart watch according to claim 1, wherein theprocessor is further configured to determine the external digital deviceas the notification device, if the smart watch is in the unworn mode. 5.The smart watch according to claim 4, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to determine the smart watch as the notification device, ifthe smart watch detect a grip signal of a user with respect to the smartwatch in the unworn mode.
 6. The smart watch according to claim 2,wherein the processor is further configured to determine the externaldigital device as the notification device, if the distance between thesmart watch and the external digital device is within a preset distance.7. The smart watch according to claim 2, wherein the processor isfurther configured to determine the smart watch and the external digitaldevice as the notification device, if the distance between the smartwatch and the external digital device is not within a preset distance.8. The smart watch according to claim 7, wherein the processor isfurther configured to detect absence of an input signal with respect tothe external digital device for a preset time, if the notification ofthe event is provided by the external digital device, and determine thesmart watch and the external digital device as the notification devicein response to the detected absence of the input signal.
 9. The smartwatch according to claim 3, wherein the processor is further configuredto detect absence of an input signal with respect to the smart watch fora preset time, if the notification of the event is provided by the smartwatch, and determine the smart watch and the external digital device asthe notification device in response to the detected absence of the inputsignal.
 10. The smart watch according to claim 9, wherein the inputsignal for the smart watch includes at least one of gaze, voice, touch,and gesture of a user.
 11. The smart watch according to claim 1, whereinthe processor is further configured to adjust strength level ofnotifications of the smart watch and the external digital devicedifferently, if the smart watch and the external digital device aredetermined as the notification device.
 12. The smart watch according toclaim 1, wherein the notification of the event includes at least one ofa speech notification, a text message notification, a vibrationnotification, and an image notification.
 13. The smart watch accordingto claim 1, wherein the worn mode or unworn mode of the smart watch isdetermined based on at least one of an input signal for the rear surfaceof smart watch and an input signal for a buckle of the smart watch. 14.The smart watch according to claim 1, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to provide the notification via the smart watch, if the smartwatch is determined as the notification device, and, transmit anotification start signal to the external digital device, if theexternal digital device is determined as the notification device. 15.The smart watch according to claim 14, wherein the processor is furtherconfigured to terminate providing the notification, if an input signalfor the notification device is detected while providing thenotification.
 16. The smart watch according to claim 1, wherein theprocessor is further configured to determine the external digital deviceas a main device and the smart watch as a sub device.
 17. The smartwatch according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further configuredto detect the event occurring in at least one of the smart watch and theexternal digital device.
 18. A method for controlling a smart watch,comprising: detecting a mode of the smart watch, wherein the mode of thesmart watch includes a worn mode and an unworn mode of the smart watch;detecting an external digital device paired with the smart watch; anddetermining a notification device providing a notification of an eventoccurring in at least one of the smart watch and the external digitaldevice based on the worn mode or unworn mode of the smart watch, whereinthe notification device includes at least one of the smart watch and theexternal digital device.
 19. The method according to claim 18, furthercomprising: obtaining a distance between the smart watch and theexternal digital device; and determining the notification deviceproviding the notification of the event based on the detected worn modeor unworn mode and the distance between the smart watch and the externaldigital device.
 20. The method according to claim 18, further comprisingdetermining the external digital device as the notification device inthe unworn mode of the smart watch.